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Trick-Or-Treating With Food Allergies

This time of year, I get lots of emails asking about trick-or-treating. Many of you have asked whether or not we let our little men participate and if we do, how we keep them safe. Those are great questions and, like many questions related to food allergies, the answers depend a lot on each child’s specific allergies and circumstances and what parents feel comfortable with.

Each child’s sensitivity to his/her allergen(s) is different. Just with my own boys, I’ve noticed a change over the past 4 years. So please keep that in mind as you are deciding what’s best for your little ones.

As for us, the way we trick-or-treat with our little men has evolved over the years.

In The Beginning:

The first couple years, our youngest was still very contact sensitive to dairy. We couldn’t take him many places without hives developing somewhere on his body (primarily his hands and face). So we trick-or-treated and he wore winter gloves. That way, no matter what candy he grabbed, his hands wouldn’t break out in hives. We still watched him like a hawk and as soon as we were done we pulled off the gloves, and washed his hands.

Now:

Now that his contact sensitivity is no longer an issue (praise the Lord), we let him trick-or-treat just like his brother. Of course, we are with them at all times and we have an extensive conversation before we go out about keeping our hands away from our face while we are out. I always carry two epinephrine auto-injectors for each child (4 total) and a big ‘ole package of wet wipes while we are out and about. When we get home, I go through the candy and swap out their unsafe candy for safe candy that I pre-purchased from Peanut Free Planet. My little men don’t seem to mind that they can’t eat the bounty that they brought home as long as they have something special, too. I’m sure that will begin to change as they get older, but hopefully they will outgrow their allergies and then it won’t be such an issue. Wishful thinking? Only time will tell.

5 Halloween Tips For Food Allergy Families:

ALWAYS carry at least 2 epinephrine auto-injectors (per allergic child) with you at all times. If your child is trick-or-treating without you, be sure that he/she is self-carrying the medication and that his/her friends know what to do in case of a reaction.

Sit down and have a conversation about safety and expectations. Kids are never too young to have a conversation about their food allergies and ways to keep them safe.

Decide how you are going to handle the loot that they bring home. Are you going to swap it out for “safe” candy? Are you going to let them trade it all in for a special toy? Make sure that you have those special “safe” items purchased in advance.

Read ALL labels – even if it’s a candy that your child has eaten before. Did you know that different sized candy bars are often made with different ingredients and in different facilities? They can come with different warnings. For example: The full-size Laffy Taffy bar contains egg. Whereas, the snack-size Laffy Taffy bar DOES NOT contain egg but instead contains soy. EEK! That would be an awful surprise to a child with an egg allergy. Scary, right? Our rule: if it doesn’t have a label, we don’t eat it!

Check the label on Halloween makeup. Many makeup brands contain nut oils, gluten proteins and even dairy products. Did you know that? Halloween wouldn’t be very much fun if after applying the makeup your child was covered in hives. Bottom line, if it’s going in or on your body – read it first!

The Teal Pumpkin Project

Lastly, have you heard about The Teal Pumpkin Project? It was started by FARE and it’s BRILLIANT! FARE is asking families to paint a pumpkin teal (food allergy awareness color) and display it on their front porch. By doing so, it not only raises awareness about food allergies but it also indicates that you are offering non-food treats. This doesn’t mean that you can’t hand out the traditional candy, it just means that you have another bowl of treats that children with food allergies can take and enjoy. When 1 in 13 children have food allergies, you know that on the night of Halloween you will be visited by a handful of these children. Just think about how excited those children will be when they arrive at your door and they can pick out a pencil, sticker, plastic ring or some other fun treat that they don’t have to give to their parents once they return home. Let me just tell you…it means the world to them and equally to the parents. So paint a pumpkin teal and join in on the fun! You can also print out a special flyer from FARE to hang on your door if you’d rather do that instead! We’ll be rocking it all!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Enjoyed your article very much. Thank you for the information on the Teal Pumpkin I had no idea. Although I have no little ones at home, As it is me with all the Allergies and Epi. I can now take part in making others aware and help the little ones that may come to my door with different choices.

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Wife, Boy Mom, & Jesus Follower!

I love fountain cokes, cookie dough (egg free, of course), bright colors, flowers, high standards, old movies and above all else, my Lord and Savior! I may have gained the title, Food Allergy Mom, but it isn't going to stop our family from loving the abundant life that we've been given.